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Abilities
Abilities Everyone has certain basic abilities: how strong, fast, smart, and clever they are. These ability scores influence most things your character does. Stronger characters can lift greater weights, more dexterous characters have better balance, tougher characters can soak up more damage, and so forth. Characters have six abilities: Strength (Str), Dexterity (Dex), Constitution (Con), Intelligence (Int), Wisdom (Wis), and Charisma (Cha). Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution are called physical abilities, whereas Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma are mental abilities. Each above-average ability score provides a bonus on certain die rolls, while below average abilities apply a penalty to some die rolls. Generating Ability Scores Ability Modifiers and Benchmarks The Abilities Altering Ability Scores Nonexistent Ability Scores Mental Abilities Enhanced Abilities Some ability scores may be acquired as Enhanced Abilities. Enhanced Abilities are powers rather than entirely natural. The key differences between Enhanced Abilities and normal ability scores are Enhanced Abilities can be nullified (normal abilities cannot, see Nullify) and Enhanced Abilities can have power feats and be used for power stunts with extra effort (normal abilities cannot, see Extra Effort). Enhanced Abilities and normal abilities have the same cost (1 build point per ability score point). The player decides if a character’s ability score is normal or enhanced and, if it is enhanced, how much of it is enhanced. Enhanced Abilities are noted with the normal ability score in parentheses after them, such as 50 (16), indicating if the character’s Enhanced Ability is nullified, the character still has a score of 16 in that ability. Changes to Abilities • Strength and Dexterity: Strength and Dexterity in this version of d20 do not directly influence a character’s chances to hit in combat, and Dexterity doesn’t improve a character’s Defense score. These capabilities are purchased separately with attack and defense bonus. This brings the value of Strength and Dexterity in line with the other abilities and allows players to fine-tune their characters’ combat abilities (so not all strong heroes are good melee combatants, for example). If you want a character whose great Strength or Dexterity provides combat ability, simply buy the character’s attack and defense bonus in proportion to those ability scores. On the other hand, you can also have a strong or dexterous character who’s not especially good in a fight, if you prefer. • Intelligence: Unlike other d20-based games, your character’s Intelligence modifier does not alter the number of skill points your hero gets. Skill ranks are purchased with build points, just like everything else. Beyond Human Although 25 is defined as “the peak of human achievement” in an ability score on the Ability Modifiers and Benchmarks Table, a character with an ability score greater than 25 isn’t “non-human,” merely superhuman in comparison to ordinary people. Many “normal human” characters in the comics have truly superhuman ability scores, particularly Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. A character can have a superhuman ability score without necessarily being anything other than an amazingly talented, well-trained human being. The limits of what “normal” characters can accomplish is up to the Gamemaster and depends very much on the style of the setting. Attack Bonus Your attack bonus represents overall combat ability. You add your attack bonus to your attack rolls to determine if you hit a target in combat. (For more on attack rolls and combat in general, see Combat). Your attack bonus starts at +0. You spend build points to increase it, 2 points per +1 bonus. Power level limits your maximum attack bonus (see Power Level). Defense Bonus Your defense bonus represents your ability to avoid attacks. Your defense bonus adds to the difficulty to hit you in combat. Your defense bonus starts at +0. You spend build points to increase it, 2 points per +1 bonus. Power level limits your maximum defense bonus (see Power Level). Dodge Bonus Half your defense bonus (rounded down) is a dodge bonus, which is lost under certain circumstances, such as when you are stunned, flat-footed, surprise-attacked, or otherwise unable to defend yourself normally. Other circumstances—such as when you are helpless—cause you to lose your entiredefense bonus, and may apply additional penalties to your defense. Specific circumstances are discussed in the Combat section. Saving Throws Capabilities Movement Size Carrying Capacity This material is Open Game Content, and is licensed for public use under the terms of the Open Game License v1.0a.